Goats Bring Food and Development
Agricultural
improvements improve
Ethiopia’s food security
Photo: USAID/Kristina Stefanova
Farmers in a village near Sekota
build a grain bank.
“If we have a problem now,
we can just sell some of
the goats,” said Birhane.
In 1984, a million people died of famine in the hot, dry region
around Sekota, Ethiopia. Historically, crops barely grow in this
isolated area of northern Ethiopia. There is little access to
markets, which still leaves thousands hungry each year. Life
expectancy is low, and treatable diseases kill many
malnourished children.
Birhane Melese, a 40-year-old widow and Sekota
resident, had struggled for years to feed her four children.
But since she got her six goats, she has a steady supply
of milk and butter and uses the manure to fertilize the
potatoes, pumpkins, onions and chilies in her backyard. “If
we have a problem now, we can just sell some of the
goats,” said Birhane.
She received her goats from USAID under a pilot project
that is helping families develop their own means of
income while increasing food security. Working closely with the
Ethiopian government, USAID provides animals to the poorest
Ethiopians and helps them learn about savings accounts,
proper harvest storage and alternative work like beekeeping so
that they can survive times of food shortage. A cornerstone of
USAID’s famine prevention strategy, the three-year, $400-
million program aims to give 1.5 million people a productive
safety net, in coordination with other government and partner
efforts.
Two years into the program, Sekota’s residents have
constructed 71 miles (115 kilometers) of roads, making their
district more accessible. In 2004, they planted thousands of fruit
and tree seedlings and built two grain banks, where 291
farmers store sorghum, wheat, barley and beans to avoid post-
harvest loss and conserve during lean periods. Six farmers’
field schools were set up for villagers to learn about crop
diversification and pest, soil and moisture management.
In the summer months, as food runs out, 47-year-old Sekota
resident Wolde-Yohannes Allegue works on other people’s
farms or in road crews, often getting his pay in food and
vegetable oil. He says he and his wife fight less over food now,
and his seven children are eating a more varied diet.